We slipped away for a few days of vacation on Jekyll Island. Every time we do that, I’m reminded just how lucky we are to live in a place where people love to come to vacation. It’s a real privilege to live here, in the midst of so much beauty and many opportunities for outdoor activities. I’ve said for years that if I could make a living working outdoors, I’d never sit at a desk again. I haven’t been able to make that work out, but being in real estate is a pretty good compromise.
The vacation turned out to be poorly timed in terms of the spring blooms, as we’re having a rather late spring. But here’s a report on the bloom so far. The sarvis came around April 7th, and it was a particularly good year for it. A very large, mature tree that I’ve never seen bloom before bloomed near us, and there seemed to be many more in bloom than there usually are in our vicinity. On the other hand, the dogwood doesn’t seem to be having a banner year. Most of it is in bloom now, but it doesn’t seem as extensive as it usually is. I expect the dogwood bloom to last through this weekend. The crab apple is just starting to bloom, the redwoods are mostly done, and the trout lily bloomed about two weeks ago. I still have some trillium in bloom, but the lady slippers haven’t come yet. The native azalea has not yet bloomed. (I’m primarily talking about my neighborhood, a few miles southeast of Mineral Bluff. Given the fact that the weather is so local here, other locations may be ahead or behind us by a week or so.)
One of my favorite events is this Saturday, the Polk County (TN) Ramp Festival. It is at Camp McCroy on Hwy 315, between Parksville Lake and Reliance, TN. From Blue Ridge, you would take Hwy 5 to Copperhill, turn left on Hwy 68 to Ducktown, and take Hwy 64/74 west toward Cleveland and Chattanooga, through the Ocoee Gorge. When you get in the vicinity of Parksville Lake, look for the turnoff on the right for Hwy 315 to Reliance. Their website says the festival begins at 10:00 AM, but it has usually started at 9:00 AM in the past. There will be bluegrass music by the Whistlestop band and Cosmic Rockin’ Boogie Grass. But the main reasons to go are to eat breakfast – scrambled eggs with ramps, Benton bacon, fried potatos, and white beans – buy ramps, and hang out for a while with the old boys.
A lot of people have asked me how my project to move the website to a new platform is coming. I appreciate everyone’s patience with this, and with my occasional difficulties making regular posts. It is going to be a whole lot better if I can get this project done, and I’ll be able to offer more in terms of functionality and features. I thought I was in a fair way to have it done a month or so ago, but I got bitten by a custom bit of coding that I unwisely installed. In the end, I had to destroy everything I’d done and start over from ground zero, so I’m back to grinding out some of the basics. I have learned a lot, and I’m sure I’ll get there eventually, but it has been heavy going so far.